Station

"My hands still feel wet", I thought looking down at my palms spreaded in my lap. The rushing wind that comes with all these trains hadn't really helped. Another fast gush of wind broke my chain of thought, and I looked at the train.

"Why aren't any of these stopping?", I started to wonder. I have been sitting on the bench for past hour. All the trains are just passing by. None of them are stopping for me to get on one of them.

"I said, where are you headed kid?", I was startled by the voice. I thought the station was empty. It was empty when I walked in. It was empty for past hour, or so I thought.

I looked to my right. On another bench, at a hands' distance, was sitting an older man. The face and hair said late 40s, but the body said otherwise. Well built, probably some construction engineer. Several new buildings were springing up in the town recently. A colony of workers and engineers had moved in.

"Next town, I suppose?", he asked again. This time with a smile on his face.

I realised I hadn't thought about it. I didn't really think about where I wanted to go.

"I apologise for my lack of attention. My mind is a bit pre-occupied at the moment", I said, and thinking about what to say about my destination I added, "I am travelling a little further."

I was hoping this would end the discussion. I started looking at the tracks again. It's weird how I have lived my whole life in this town but never really came to the train station. I had come occasionally to drop or receive someone. Didn't know till this evening what it looked like from inside.

"You're that teacher in the local school, aren't you?" I heard the man say, and continued as I turned to look at him again, "I have seen you there when I drop my son to the school".

'Shit! This shouldn't have happened. I don't need anyone who knows me right now', thinking this, I could just give a nod.

"What do you teach? History, I guess", the man continued. This is the first time I noticed his heavy accent. He was definitely from further south.

"Yeah, History and English Lit", I said.

"A learned man, eh? Talking about our great heroes and great writers."

"Still learning", I tried to give a smile but I am sure it came out really odd. The way he said that last sentence it felt like he knew a lot about history and literature. But didn't really agree with much of it.

Silence again. This time it lasted longer. I felt my heartbeat rising. I didn't want to get recognised, didn't want to get backtracked later. I decided I am going to get out of the train after the old man. At least two stations later. I became even more impatient now.

"You've got an aura around you, you know", he said. I turned to my side again and I could see that he was on the edge of the bench now. As close to me as possible. Eyes fixed on me with a look that I couldn't really understand. It wasn't that normal look, it was different. Almost, like curiosity, he wanted to know something.

"People look at you, you know? They listen to you. Not only kids you teach. Others too. Older people. I have seen you talk, I have seen you move", he said pausing enough to give every word considerable weight.

"It's a good thing I became a teacher then", I mumbled almost inaudibly. But I didn't agree. I knew why people would look at me and even my family wouldn't listen to me.

"You have an aura about you kid", he said while turning to see the coming train, "you should be more confident".

I looked at the train too. I could see myself in the reflection of the windows. As I was watching myself, the world seem to slow down. I started thinking about what this man had just said and thinking about earlier evening and events of previous days. The last moments at home came to my mind first and I started retracing them and reliving them. Trying to remember all the details I could.